倭 (wō) — (bound form) old name for Japan (in historical compounds like 倭寇 'Japanese pirates', 倭国 'Wa state'); (bound form) pumpkin (regional/dialectal, in 倭瓜)

Definition

倭 (wō) is a bound, archaic character that almost never stands alone. It is the historical Chinese name for Japan (倭国), and a northern dialect word for 'pumpkin' (倭瓜 = 南瓜).

bound form
old name for Japan (in historical compounds like 倭寇 'Japanese pirates', 倭国 'Wa state')pumpkin (regional/dialectal, in 倭瓜)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 倭。
    Míng shǐ zhōng jì zǎi le wō kòu duì yán hǎi de qīn rǎo.
    The Ming history records the raids of Japanese pirates on the coast.
  • 倭。
    Běi fāng yǒu xiē dì fāng bǎ nán guā jiào zuò wō guā.
    In some places in the north, pumpkin is called wōguā.
  • 倭。
    Gǔ dài hàn wén zhōng cháng chēng rì běn wèi wō guó.
    In ancient Chinese texts, Japan is often referred to as the country of Wa.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
委
委wěi倭wō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

倭 is built from 亻, the person part, and 委, which gives the sound.

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